House Democrats have started the clock on a discharge petition for aid to Ukraine.

[speak easy]

Rep. Jim McGovern of Massachusetts, the top-ranking Democrat on the House Rules Committee, quietly filed a resolution on Feb. 15 for consideration of a bill “to advance responsible policies”—a possible vehicle to force a vote on Ukraine aid.

The McGovern resolution started the clock on the ability to gather signatures on a new discharge petition to force a vote on the bipartisan, Senate-passed foreign-aid package if Johnson continues to refuse to put it on the floor for an up-or-down vote.

Republicans who support Ukraine funding hope it won’t come to that and have pitched a raft of alternatives to their own leadership that they are hoping might win Johnson’s support.

https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/with-ukraine-aid-stuck-in-congress-supporters-push-fallback-plans-82f0c06f?st=fz77c32s2ahfhoc

[gab13by13]

1. I think it takes like 37 days.

[speak easy]

2. 37 days from February 15.

[getagrip_already]

4. Actually, no, this is a rewrite of a much older bill

That has been on the floor since last Feb. Much longer than the 30 legislative days required. They can move it any time.

The holdup Is dems, not the process, and not Republicans (yet).

There is a block of hamas loving dems that won't vote for any package with any money for Israel, even aid for palestinians (there is $10 B in aid in this bill). You can guess who they are, they have already said they won't vote for it.

So the dance is to get them to vote for discharge but let them vote no on passage.

That's the current holdup. Leadership doesn't want to bring the discharge petition to the floor and have to remove dem names from it.

[mahina]

7. wow. Thank you for that insight and info.

[Fiendish Thingy]

11. 37 business days

That is, days congress is actually in session.

They aren’t due back in session until, I think March 5, and the government shut is expected later that week.

[OAITW r.2.0]

3. Hope every House D co-signs on this resolution. There has to be 10 Republicans-

who are-
> Never Trumpers
> In Swing districts
> Interested in serving in the next Congress

that want-
> Funding for Ukraine
> Funding for the Border
> A long term budget solution

Solution-
Announce that all ten have opted out of the Party and will now call themselves: Conservative Independents. There is strength in numbers and you get to be the real power broker group in Congress. You might even survive in your district.

On edit-

This would also have the benefit of making Trump / Putin / MBS / China and NK dictators shit their collective drawers.

[getagrip_already]

5. You can guess which dems are saying no...

They won't support any bill with aid for Israel, even though it has $10B in aid for refugees and war victims like palestinians in gaza and elsewhere.

Leadership is working it.

[patphil]

6. It's a multi-step process that takes at least 37 days.

https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IN/IN10910

[getagrip_already]

8. Except that this bill is a rewrite of one that has been around for a year

It has been on the floor for more than the required number of legislative days to move to petition.

Give Jeffries credit. He knows his job.

[getagrip_already]

9. Here is an excellent writeup on the current discharge status

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/2/21/2224708/-Ukraine-Israel-Palestinians-Taiwan-Aid-The-Discharge-Petition-Route

It is long, but describes where we stand on the discharge petition and what the process entails.

Like I said above, Jeffries has the days in session requirement covered. Unlike the gop, he knows what he is doing.

[patphil]

10. That's good to hear. Every day is so very important in getting that aid to Ukraine.